Urban Partners and strategic partners Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) and Viessmann Generations Group (Viessmann) have launched a new €650m European urban regeneration fund.
The Urban Partners Regeneration Fund, which is backed by anchor institutional partners PensionDanmark and SamPension, has an unlevered investment capacity of up to €650m, combining primary equity and co-investment capita.
It will transform brownfield sites into mixed-use neighbourhoods and is targeting growth cities in the Nordics, Germany and the United Kingdom with a strong pipeline in Copenhagen, Hamburg, Munich, Stockholm and London.
The fund is co-headed by Jesse Shapins and Peter Epping and its senior team includes Nick Searl, former managing partner of Argent, and Paul Clark, former CIO of The Crown Estate and head of European real assets at AustralianSuper.
Jens Stender, co-CEO of Urban Partners, said: “As an urban investor, we have built a track record of expertise through two decades of investing in and around cities. The Urban Partners Regeneration Fund is a unique response to a defining moment for Europe. By aligning long-duration global capital with growing demand at the local level, we see a tremendous opportunity to apply our unique capabilities to create real, lasting value at scale.”
Claus Mathisen, co-CEO of Urban Partners, added: “This first close reflects strong conviction in a strategy built for scale and long-term execution. Regeneration projects are complex by nature, but with a purpose-built fund and a strong pipeline in key growth cities, we can deploy capital in a disciplined way and work alongside partners and municipalities to unlock value over time.”
Jakob Baruël Poulsen, managing partner at CIP, said: “We are excited to support Urban Partners Regeneration Fund with its pioneering approach for delivering large-scale, mixed-use urban regeneration across Europe’s growth cities. By combining Urban Partners’ deep urban regeneration expertise with CIP’s experience in developing large-scale, greenfield infrastructure projects, this partnership is well positioned to create long-term value for cities, communities, and investors.”
Peter Stensgaard Mørch, CEO of PensionDanmark, added: “The structural housing shortage is one of the major societal challenges of our time. Drawing on our many years of experience in urban development in Denmark, we see a compelling opportunity to deliver attractive returns for our members’ pension savings – while at the same time helping to tackle a critical challenge facing European growth cities,”
Max Viessmann, CEO of Viessmann Generations Group, said: “Cities are the pulse of our civilisation. Mastering the transformation of our urban environments is essential to drive a sustainable and inclusive future – in line with our purpose of co-creating living spheres for generations to come. The co-creation approach of the regeneration fund is exactly what is needed to successfully revitalise brownfields into blueprints for resilient urban life, delivering tangible benefits for both people and the planet.”
